C.F. Town Council Hears About Dam Restoration Project By Judy Moffitt Clark   Clifton Forge, VA (April 13, 2021) - The Clifton Forge Town Council took several actions during their regular monthly meeting Tuesday night after hearing a comprehensive report from the engineer who oversaw the recently completed Smith Creek Dam restoration project. Ethan Miller of Gannett Fleming, the engineering firm that conducted the nine-month project, explained to council, with accompanying photographs, what actions had been undertaken to stabilize the dam, which is the major supplier of water to the town. Miller said that the project had involved, among other things, removing piers, installing anchors, grouting joints, preventing erosion behind the spillway, encasing water lines, capping the surface with concrete, and generally reinforcing the dam. Miller noted that some of the work was very challenging. Because of the steep valley on one side, barges had to be brought in in order to deliver equipment and materials. The only item remaining is to pave the parking area. Council thanked Miller for the presentation, and Town Manager Chuck Unroe said that an open house and ribbon-cutting would be scheduled in the near future. In other business, council: - After a brief public hearing, approved the sale of 401 W. Ridgeway St., a vacant lot at the corner of Ridgeway and 4th Sts., to Erin Huffman, owner and designer at the Flower Center in downtown Clifton Forge, in the amount of $4,000. In a letter to council, Huffman said she plans to operate a business at the new location, and plans to erect a greenhouse. - Approved the naming of the newly constructed pavilion at Booker T. Washington Park after the late Rev. Matthew T. Barnette, a lifelong resident of Clifton Forge who served on various volunteer boards and committees. The Friends of Washington Park had requested the designation in honor of Rev. Barnette. The park has been undergoing major renovations during the last several months and the Friends group has been very successful in raising funds for the project. Evelyn Cooper spoke on behalf of the Friends during the council meeting. - Adopted rates for the sale of water to Alleghany County: $3.62 per 1,000 gallons and $1.20 per 1,000 gallons peak flow rate of 421,000 gallons per day, effective July 1. - Approved 4-0 (council member Dr. Ron Goings is out of the country and was unable to join the Zoom meeting) a “blanket resolution” to make it possible for the town to take advantage of a grant from the Virginia Department of Transportation to pave Ridgeway St. from its intersection with Roxbury St. all the way to the west limits of the town. Town Manager Chuck Unroe said that the paving project would be in excess of $1 million, and will also include replacing a sewer line. Although the town will have to come up with 20 percent in matching funds, Finance Director Lee Anna Tyler said that those funds would come out of public works monies already budgeted. - Approved selling to the public for $25 each old street signs that have been stored by Public Works. Tyler noted that the black and white signs are nostalgic for many residents and would be sold first-come, first-serve. - Appointed or re-appointed members to the following boards and commissions: Richard Deaton and Brantley Miller, Board of Zoning Appeals; Brandon Caldwell, Economic Development Authority; Pam Irvine, Diana K. Smith and John Riley, Planning Commission; Amy Rice Dew, Architectural Review Board. Council also accepted the resignation of Mac Campbell from the Planning Commission. - Gave Clifton Forge Town Attorney Jared Jenkins the go-ahead to send a “cease and desist” letter to a contractor who has not completed several projects, including installing or repairing bathrooms at the Clifton Forge Armory, the Clifton Forge Firehouse and Washington Park, and windows and bathrooms at the water treatment plant. - Tabled a decision to return to in-person meetings for the May regular monthly meeting. Unroe said that Town Hall would re-open to the public as of May 1, and while most council members said they were okay with resuming in-person meetings, they decided to delay it another month. Unroe said that the decision would be totally up to council and what they would be comfortable with. Jenkins said that council would need to follow protocol, and likely still require masks and social distancing. The only vote against tabling the motion came from Vice Mayor Jeff Irvine, who said that he felt it was time for council to resume in-person meetings. He said he had had many calls from constituents, and that other local governing bodies, such as the Alleghany Cuonty Board of Supervisors, have begun meeting in person again, with safety measures in place. - Heard from Unroe that a major repair project, the replacing of a drain that had collapsed and caused flooding at the corner of Ingalls and Chestnut Streets, was almost complete. - Considered a request from a citizen to consider observing June 19 for the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Unroe said it was likely too late in the year to add an employee holiday, but suggested council consider it for next year. - Discussed goals and objectives for the year, including recognizing businesses who have stayed active during the pandemic; expand RADAR transit bus services; provide rental bike racks; upgrading parks with new swings, grills, and shrubbery; marketing the Chestnut St. property; increase recreational activities for youth; and fill empty buildings. Mayor Pam Marshall noted that the Clifton Forge High School property had been viewed by potential buyers, and that a potential business may be coming to the Pizza Hut building. Heard about several upcoming events: • The Stars and Stripes July 4 event will resume this year, with a parade at noon, a program at the Masonic Theatre, and music and other festivities, including evening fireworks, at the C&O Railway Heritage Center; • A fund-raising event at Linden Park later this summer for the Clifton Forge Little League; • And a town-wide clean-up April 24 hosted by the Vision 2025 Clifton Forge Corridor Curb Appeal Committee.

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